Anderson s heroic performance helped the team win the cup, Crystal Palace s first FA Cup win in history is promising

This article is compiled from The Standard, by Dom Smith Dom

This clear Saturday belongs to the Crystal Palace and will also belong to them forever on May 17, 2025.

Crystal Palace finally didn't have to wait anymore, they won an important trophy for the first time. This is their first FA Cup in history, and will start a European tournament - they have qualified for the Europa League next season. That's right, Crystal Palace has entered the top ranks.

The exciting young stars under Oliver Glasner finally did it, and the greatest moment in the club's brilliant history arrived in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Wembley.

Eberec Eze's goal in the first half was the only goal in the game, but the key to the game was the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Dean Henderson. He saved Omar Marmush's penalty and shut down any Manchester City shots.

This is a perfect performance of the super "Eagles" under Glasner. Their tactical deployment was organized and they were full of energy on the field, and finally won this meaningful trophy. The club's outgoing captain Joel Ward and the captain Marco Gey shared this moment of glory together.

Ward played for the FA Cup finals in 2016, the second time that Crystal Palace lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup finals, the first in 1990. In both games, Crystal Palace was infinitely close to victory, but in the end they both failed.

This time, Stockport County, Doncaster Wanderers, Millwall, Fulham and Aston Villa were eliminated all the way, and finally broke into Wembley Stadium. This crucial final level was finally crossed - Manchester City was defeated and Crystal Palace finally won.

Their grand expedition began early, and around ten a.m., a large number of supporters flocked to Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. Judging from the red and blue ocean seen at one end of the court half an hour before the kickoff, they obviously did not reach their climax too early. The fireworks show began – more than it was in the semi-final against Aston Villa – and the latest massive slogans, fans raised £45,000 for the stunt, far exceeding the cost of making the slogan. The Eagles fans never act perfunctorily.

When Haaland and Gvaldior's early shots were blocked by Henderson, Manchester City fans might think the team is getting closer and closer to the goal. However, this is a harbinger of the goalkeeper's next outstanding performance.

Crystal Palace was suppressed in the halfway point for the opening 15 minutes, but eventually they broke through the midfield line. With their efficient offense, they unexpectedly scored first, with Daniel Muñoz crossing from the right and Eze scorting the ball, his eighth goal in his last 11 games for Crystal Palace. It was his fifth straight goal, and the core player took control of the game at Wembley Stadium, just like he scored that wonderful goal in the semi-finals to help the team advance to the finals.

So, the carnival atmosphere arrived as scheduled at Wembley Stadium, and the loyal Hawks fans cheered loudly, and a few minutes later, when Munos made a cross and Isamara Saul was saved, they almost cheered again.

The Eagles then had good luck, and all the champion teams needed a little of that luck. Henderson cleared the ball from Ellin Haaland's feet with obvious handball outside the penalty area. VAR chose not to rewind, because Haaland's running direction was far away from the goal, which was not a red card foul. The Hawks breathed a sigh of relief that their afternoon might have been very different if they had lost the goalkeeper so early.

If you think this is unfair, football will play its old balanced drama again. Haaland unexpectedly gave in to the opportunity, and Omar Mamush stepped forward. Henderson stood up. The goalkeeper rushed to the right and blocked the penalty, then took Haaland's supplementary shot into the bag. The fans of Crystal Palace may not have fully recovered their confidence, but their beliefs must be stronger.

Henderson performed well throughout the game, turning the tide at a critical moment, resolving the threats from Jeremy Doku and Claudio Echeviri who came on as a substitute, and providing strong support for the Hawks' tightly organized defense.

They can almost create a two-goal lead. Muñoz was elected the best in the game with his outstanding performance, joining last January for £6.5 million, this time he first hit the post and then stabbed goalkeeper Stefan Ortega with his toes, but Isamara Saar touched the ball and was judged to be offside first, with the goal invalid. The final stage of tension is coming.

Jefferson Lylema, Will Hughes and Eddie Nketia came on the stage to stabilize the situation and helped the Crystal Palace successfully cross the line, although this was unprecedented at the time.

As 10 minutes of injury time pass by, Kevin De Bruyne is trying to turn things around, his last chance to fight for a trophy before leaving Manchester City next month. He intercepted the ball from Ortega's feet and pushed forward, waved his hand disdainfully at Guvadiol, as if saying "get out." De Bruyne conceded the ball immediately. Today is not his day, nor is it from Manchester City. This day belongs to the Crystal Palace. When the final whistle finally rang, people's emotions were unanimously relieved, and the questions over decades of doubts about whether Crystal Palace could win an important trophy instantly disappeared. The club's legends stood side by side with Chairman Steve Parish: Steve Kopel, Roy Hodgson, Gareth Southgate and Mark Bright, who looked like something was in his eyes.

plus the actual bonus. As a patron of the English Football Association, Prince William congratulated these "palace heroes" and presented them with a championship medal to each of them. Then, the Crystal Palace team won the trophy and put a perfect end to their unforgettable day.

So, the whole club started to have a carnival and continued until late at night. Don't be surprised, they may even be too lazy to play in the league against Wolves at Selhurst Park Stadium on Tuesday. What is the meaning of this?